Ash tray



Jan. 1, 1952 RE L 2,580,837

ASH TRAY Filed June 28, 1948 FIG. 2.

FIG. 3.

FIG. 4.

INVENTOR LOUIS A. REVELL ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Louis A. Revell, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 28, 1948, Serial No. 35,684

This invention has to do with holders or ash trays for burning cigarettes.

As is well known, cigarette smokers have a tendency to carelessly balance burning cigarettes upon the edges of ash trays and the fire consumes the cigarette from its inner end to a point where it tilts over the edge of the ash tray and falls onto the table or other support for the ash tray, burning the latter. While most ash trays provide transverse grooves intended to receive the cigarettes, smokers are notoriously careless in that they do not always place the burning cigarette in one of the grooves.

It is an object of my invention to provide a holder presenting a cigarette receiving groove and in which the surfaces bounding the groove are formed to provide a rollway to cause the cigarette automatically to roll by gravity into the groove.

It is also an object to provide in such a device a cigarette receiving groove, one of whose side walls so overhangs the groove as to cause the fire of the cigarette to die out when it reaches the groove.

A further object is to provide in an ash tray a cigarette receiving groove which has an overhanging wall portion to prevent a cigarette from tilting even though the center of gravity of the cigarette may be outwardly of the groove.

Other and subordinate objects will become apparent from the following description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a further modifie form;

Fig. 6 is. a section taken on line 6-8 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the device of Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 5 generally denotes an ash tray embodying my invention.

The tray has a cupped bottomportion 6 providing anash receptacle, and around the top edge ofthe receptacle I provide an annular row of circiimferentially spaced radially disposed cigarette receiving grooves 1, of less length than the normal length of a conventional cigarette,

4 Claims. (01. 131-4235) 'each one of which grooves is shaped in cross section to conform to the round cross sectional shape of a cigarette C, and to fit the cigarette rather snugly.

The right hand side wall of each of the grooves is reversely curved inwardly and upwardly to provide a groove-overhanging portion '8, and the opposite side wall of each groove slopes downwardly into the groove from the top surface of an adjacent portion 8,as shown at 9, being preferablyslightly curved to properly guide a'rolling cigarettethat is, its inner edge portion adjacent its upper end is slightlyhigher, as shown at 9a, than is the outer edge portion '91), the inner edge portion 9a merginginto a relatively lower portion adjacentthe bottom of the groove, while the outer edge portion merges into a relatively higher portion 9d adjacent the bottom of the groove.

The above described formation of the annular top surface of the device causes a cigarette, when placedon thesurface 9, to'roll by gravity into the bottom of the groove, it being impossible to place .the cigarette on'any part of said surface without it rolling into the groove. Even if the major portion of the length of the cigarette should be beyond the periphery of the device, which ordinarily would cause the cigarette to tilt outwardly and fall onto the tray supporting surface, the overhanging portion 8 will function as an abutment for the inner end of the cig-e arette to prevent the inner end of the cigarette from swinging upwardly to permit such action.

Moreover, such diagonal disposition of overhanging wal or surface 8 functions to restrict the supply of oxygen to the burning end of the cigarette, with the result that if the cigarette is allowed to remain in the groove until the fire consumes the cigarette up to the inner end of the groove, the fire will be choked off and the cigarette will not burn farther towards the outer end.

It is my preference to provide flutes or recesses H) in the exterior side wall of the device to reduce its weight and add to its appearance.

The preferred manner of making the device as before described is by molding or casting.

In Fig. 4 I show a modified form of device which is conducive to being stamped. Here the rectangular tray l5 has side walls I6, one of which terminates in a lateral flange l1 upon which I secure, as by welding, at l8, the ends of a strip 20 bent to provide spaced grooves 21, one of whose side walls is disposed inwardly and upwardly to terminate in a groove-overhanging portion 22 and the other of whose side walls slopes downwardly into the groove from the top of a contiguous portion 22, to provide a cigarette rollway 25. This device functions in the manner before described.

In Figs. 5-7 inclusive, I show a further modification which is like Fig. 4 except that in lieu of stamping I employ a straight casting 30 provided with transverse cigarette receiving grooves 3|, one of whose side walls is disposed inwardly and upwardly to provide a groove- 2 overhanging portion 32 and the other of whose side walls slopes downwardly into the groove from the top of contiguous portion 32 to provide a cigarette rollway 35. The end surfaces 36 of the forms of Figs. 4-7, inclusive, are beveled, to prevent anyone from placing a cigarette thereon.

I claim: y

l. A holder for a burning cigarette including a cupped ash receptacle having a substantially flat top edge portion, and a cigarette retainer mounted on said edge portion, said retainer-com.- -p n a sinuous strip presenting transverse cigarette receiving grooves openin diagonally upwardly, each of said grooves being bounded by surfaces d lining theretoward whereby to cause a cigarette placed on one of said surfaces of one of said grooves to roll by gravity into that groove.

2. A cigarette holder for an ash tray comprising a body whose top surface is of a width to support a cigarette against tipping endwise and presents undercut tran verse cigarette receiving grooves .each of a length and cross-section to freely receive and fill port a cigarette, each of 1 said grooves being bounded .at its sides by cigarette rollways declining thereinto, whereby when a cigarette is placed transversely of said sure face at any point removed from a-groove it will roll by gravity into a groove, and whereby after said cigarette rolls into said groove the upper side wall of the groove will provide an overlyi-ng abutment engageable by the cigarette to prevent the latter from tipping endwise when the cigarette burns so that its center of gravity is changed.

3. A cigarette ash tray comprising a body providing a medial ash receptacle surrounded by a raised annular portion whose top surface is interrupted by circumferentially spaced, transverse, diagonally-circumferentially opening cigarette receiving grooves each of a length and cross-section large enough to freely receive and support a cigarette, each of said grooves being bounded at its sides by circumferentially disposed, curved, cigarette rollways declining thereinto, and toward the ash receptacle, whereby when a cigarette is placed transversely of said surface at any point removed from a groove it will roll by gravity into a groove.

4. ,An ash receptacle having a side wall presenting a top surface whose inner and outer extremities are defined in plan by a pair of spaced substantially concentric arched lines, said surface bein fur her ha a terized by hav n circumferentially spaced, diagonally opening, re;- dially dispo di arette rec iv ng roove ea h bounded by sur a e portions sloping thereinto nd owa d said in r e tremit wher y t provide cigarette rollways; said grooves and sloping urfac p rtions compris ng the entire said top surface, whereby when a cigarette is placed generally transversely of said surface at any point therealong it will roll by gravity into an adjacent one of said grooves.

LOUIS A. REVELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'EN'I'S Joseph Sept. 1, 1942 

